Hearts For Ice
by Black21Jack
Summary: A quick look on what people actually meant when they say that if things happened, they happened for a reason and how you realized that some things or someone meant a lot more to you. One shot. :)


**A/N: Hey, people! This is my first try on writing for Bleach. Please let me know what you think about it. I have more ideas for Bleach and especially for our Shiro-chan. I just love to abuse my favorite characters. :P**

**Happy reading and don't hesitate to review! :)**

One of the odds that could happen to a soul in Soul Society was falling sick. In this case, it was a Shinigami. To be more specific, it was a certain white haired that worked too hard for his age and happened to be the 3rd Seat of his squad. Hitsugaya Toushirou, the youngest member of Seireitei and a prodigy had finally reached his limit when he woke up one morning with at first a dull throbs which then expanded to a very bad headache. The young Shinigami had shrugged it off as nothing the moment he got up and folded his futon. He'd assumed that it was momentarily and the ache would slowly fade away. The small soul reaper didn't know that the day was about to get worse.

The morning started off as normal as it could-ignoring a certain migraine-with the three high rankers in the large office room of the Squad Ten barracks. A small figure was seated behind a desk, his small hands busy finishing the paper works that seemed never ending while another two beings, a black-haired man and an orange-blonde lady was perched on a couch opposite each other, playing a game board that was about to end.

"Oh Taichou! You purposely did that!" Matsumoto Rangiku, the lieutenant of Squad Ten exclaimed. A pout formed on her pretty face and she had her arms crossed and neatly tucked under her rather large assets.

"I won, Ran-chan. Just accept it." Captain Shiba Isshin returned Rangiku's pout with a genuine smile. His head turned to the direction of his 3rd Seat who was almost literally engulfed in his work.

"Ne, Shiro-chan. Why don't we three go get some fresh air for a while? I can almost see smoke coming out from the papers." A ticked mark appeared on Toushirou's forehead which induced the headache he was having.

"Don't call me that, Taichou. I'm almost done and besides, you two hadn't done a single paperwork. Why would you need fresh air?" He said coldly. The little white haired looked over his mountains of paperworks and met his captain's gaze.

"Shiro-chan, are you alright? You seemed rather…sick." A tone of concern was visible in Isshin's speech. Toushirou didn't want to let his superiors knew that he was indeed falling sick, since he himself was denying the fact whole-heartedly. A Shinigami shouldn't fall sick. Plus, he was still young-reluctant to say that he's still a boy- and his health was at the peak. Although he tried to hide it, nothing could conceal the flush look on his face and the sickening throbs in his head which was getting worse and didn't seem to façade any time soon.

"I'm fine. If you both could just get to your paper works already, the room might feel a little less stuffy." He answered, glaring at the other two souls in the room. If he was in his normal state, the glare could have sent shiver running down your spine despite his young, innocent pure look. However, in that situation his eyes were droopy and he looked sleepy.

"Are you having a fever, Toushirou-chan?" Rangiku got up and touched the prodigy's forehead, trying to check his body temperature when she felt a sudden cold surface connected with her smooth bare palm. The child's skin was abnormally cold.

"Ehhh! You are freezing, Toushirou-chan. Are you alright?" She then moved closer and leaned in towards the young boy, revealing her wide buxom.

"M-Matsumoto Fukutaichou, too close!" Toushirou backed away from the lady, the heat was already rising to his face.

"Yare, yare. I think our little kid needs some remedy for his overwork fatigue, ne Ran-chan?" Isshin looked at Rangiku who seemed to get the message.

"Ah, Taichou. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" It didn't need any explanation for Toushirou to get the conversation understood.

"But it's still early! You guys still have the paper works to be hand in and I'm NOT A KID." All his words were ignored as Isshin got up and walked over to Toushirou. The man practically lifted him out of his chair and slung him over his wide shoulder, looking as if he was carrying nothing more than a bag. Rangiku was already getting the door for them.

"S-Shiba Taichou, what are you doing?! Put me down!" The three were walking past some of the squad members who looked cliché to the whole situation. Rangiku was humming happily behind her captain, ignoring the grunting noise that escaped from Toushirou. By the time they reached their destination, Toushirou had finally relented in fighting the big man holding him.

"There's still a lot of paper works that needs to be done. You shouldn't even be drinking at this time, Taichou." Toushirou tried to persuade the two so-called adults back to the office, oblivious to the fact that they were already seated and waiting for their drinks. Rangiku came with some bottles of sake and placed them on the table along with three glasses.

"Hai. Here you go, Taichou." Isshin took the bottle and gulped the sake down; his face contorted with distaste of the flavour but somehow enjoyed it. Toushirou would never understand why people enjoy drinking the awful substance.

"Toushirou-chan, why aren't you drinking?" Rangiku asked, already on her third round when she noticed that the white haired boy was sitting still.

"I don't drink, Matsumoto Fukutaichou. I dislike drinking." Toushirou growled. His head was getting a little heavier than before.

"Ne, ne Ran-chan, don't teach the child bad things. He's still a little boy you know." Isshin's words were a slur but it wasn't fully distorted.

"I'M NOT A CHILD!" Toushirou shouted, trying his best from submitting to his worsened migraine. He had a scowl on his face while the older guy smirked, acting like he was already losing conscious to the drink.

"Oh, really? But how are you a man, _Shiro-chan_?" Isshin was obviously trying to agitate the boy even in his drunk mode. Other occupants in the small store were looking at their small altercation when Toushirou grab a bottle of sake and without any hesitation he bravely poured the drink into his mouth, wincing a little at the burning sensation when his throat made contact with the fluid. He harshly wiped his mouth and hit the bottle on the table, hard. Both Rangiku's and Isshin's eyes were wide, the lady gaping a little.

"What? There, I've drank. Can we please go back now?" The prodigy was still sober despite the large amount he'd just consumed.

"Well, well. Taichou, I guess our mission is done. You are a man now, Toushirou-kun." Rangiku had a smile on her face before she continued drinking her sake. Isshin on the other hand looked very surprised at the teal-eyed boy, not believing the scene that just played in front him but not for long when Toushirou's face drained in colour.

"I think I'm going to be sick-"Without getting to finish his sentence, Toushirou rushed out of the store and got on his knees, vomiting all the contents of his stomach in the drain. His two superiors were rushing towards him, both weighing a worried look.

"Well, maybe not yet a man." Rangiku tried to joke, noticing the ill looked on the 3rd Seat's face.

"Oi, you okay there, Toushirou?" Isshin tried to get a respond from his young subordinate. Toushirou slowly got up and turned to face the other two but somehow, his steps faltered making him looked drunk.

"Are you drunk already?" They never got the answer when the lithe body swayed and fell to the ground. Being a Shinigami, Isshin was fast in his reflex, disposing all the evidence that he was even drunk and in a second was cradling Toushirou's body in his arms.

"Oi Shiro-chan, Toushirou!" Isshin shook the Shinigami's shoulder lightly but Toushirou had lost his consciousness. Rangiku ran to them and was shocked to see the pale look on Toushirou's skin. She quickly felt the small kid's forehead and was surprised at his body heat. She could've sworn that not less than an hour ago, Toushirou was as cold as his reiatsu.

"He's hot. Taichou, what do we do?" Panicked for a mere second, Rangiku realized that it was something stupid to ask. Isshin however, got on his feet, Toushirou looking small in his arms and shunpoed to a direction after saying, "Rangiku, let's go." Rangiku followed suit, knowing that they're heading for the Fourth Squad barracks.

Isshin looked down to the boy in his arm, his fluffy white hair lightly touching Isshin's chin. Toushirou was huffing and his breathing was getting shallower. Isshin knew something was wrong. He quickened his pace and in record time, the three of them were in front of Squad Four barracks.

"Unohana Taichou!" The said captain walked out from the door with her lieutenant loyal by her side. Two pairs of eyes widened at the sight that greeted them. Unohana Retsu however managed to return her composures; not letting it faltered any longer than her braids.

"Bring him in. Isane-san, can you please get the room ready?" Her soft voice betrayed the commanding tone in her speech. Isane, having heard her captain's order was already gone to deliver Unohana's instruction. Not more than a few seconds, Toushirou was laid on a soft bed in one of the Fourth Squad unoccupied room.

"Isshin Taichou and Matsumoto Fukutaichou, please wait outside while Unohana Taichou tends Hitsugaya-san." Isane then quickly closed the door and blocked the sight of the white haired prodigy from his two high rankers.

Toushirou's eyelids slowly fluttered to reveal the most breath taking pair of teal orbs. All that was in his view was a white ceiling but he could tell that he was in one of Fourth Squad's room, sensing the medical aromas that intruded his nostrils. Not a moment later, a blonde haired figure came into his view with a smile.

"Toushirou-kun, I'm glad you're awake." It wasn't a lie, though. Rangiku's face actually did relax when she saw the young boy finally awoke from his slumber.

"How are you feeling?" Rangiku asked way too soft. Toushirou knew something was going on but he didn't ignore his lieutenant's question.

"I'm fine. My head hurts a bit." He answered. His voice however came out croaky and by the sound of it, Toushirou couldn't deny that a fever was coming. Or was it?

"You should feel that way since you had just come down from a high fever." Toushirou turned his head to his left, finally noticing that he and Rangiku weren't the only one in the room. Unohana was standing near the door with Isshin by her side, having just entered the room and had heard their little conversation. The young prodigy quickly hurdled himself into a sitting position and couldn't help but gasped at the headache that was rapidly coming back.

"I suggest you don't move too much, 3rd Seat Hitsugaya. You haven't fully recovered, anyway." Unohana's soft tone delivered much more than the motherly sense that she seemed to carry.

"What happened?" Toushirou asked as the only thing he remembered was asking his Captain to return to the office.

"You mean you don't remember?" Rangiku frowned.

"I recalled trying to get you two back to the office after finishing my drink but that's it." Toushirou replied sincerely. Rangiku looked at her Captain who gave her a nod.

"I'll let you three settle everything but please make sure after everything is cleared, 3rd Seat Hitsugaya will return to bed and have a good rest. Please excuse me." When Unohana's retreating figure was completely out of view, Isshin pulled a chair by Toushirou's bed and sat while Rangiku had made herself comfortable by sitting near Toushirou's small legs.

"Ne, Toushirou-kun, actually… what happened was you passed out after you drink. Your body was rising in temperature and when we got you to Unohana Taichou, you looked like a ghost. You were so pale and yet your face was flushed. It took a couple of hours to make sure you're stabilized." Rangiku explained.

"Stabilized? What do you mean? I thought I had a fever, that's all." Toushirou looked from Rangiku to Isshin, completely confused.

"You didn't have the fever this morning, did you? You were only experiencing the minor symptoms and yes, we noticed. You weren't doing so well with the paper works and you didn't even say anything when we both got very quiet. We were actually watching you. It got bad when you downed the sake. It sort of triggered your immune system and that's what actually induced your fever. Unohana Taichou had to remove all the sake from your body and to do that, she had to borrow some of your reiatsu so that it helped in getting rid of the sake. After that was done, your body was weak because of the fever and your reiatsu being used so they had to stabilize you. If they don't expel the sake, your fever will become worst because your body couldn't take it." By the end of Isshin's explanation, both adults had a guilty look on their faces.

They knew it was their fault. They had pushed the boy off his limit even when they knew the young Shinigami wasn't at his best. "I'm very sorry, Shiro-chan. How could I have not known?" Isshin had his eyes closed and his head down. Rangiku was doing the same.

"I'm sorry too, Shiro-kun. I thought it was just a bad morning for you." She muttered. Toushirou definitely didn't know how to react to that. He surely didn't blame them and there was nothing for them to apologize.

"Baka. How is it any of your faults?" He chuckled. Isshin grinned a little while Rangiku looked surprised and perplexed.

"So you're not mad at us?" Isshin looked at the boy who he treated like his own son and although it was hard for him to understand it at first, he finally knew that the prodigy had own a spot in his heart.

"At least now I have a reason to reject any further invitations to drink from anybody." Both his superiors giggled. Rangiku let out a sigh. She knew she could never win against the small white haired, even in the future. She secretly hoped that Toushirou wouldn't get hurt because she knew that beyond the icy reiatsu and cold exterior lays a one of a kind prodigy with a heart. She wouldn't admit though that he reminded her of someone.

"You should rest and get well soon, little 3rd Seat." Isshin heard Toushirou's growled and laughed. He ruffled the soft white flocks with passion before giving way for Rangiku.

"See you tomorrow, Toushirou-kun." She smiled before leaning in and placing a kiss on Toushirou's warm forehead. He was caught off guard and was frozen in spot before he realized that he was alone again. He slowly laid back down and tuck himself in, reminding himself never to drink again.

Outside the Fourth Squad barracks, quietly on their way to the Tenth Squad, Rangiku walked a few steps behind Isshin, letting her Captain to lead the way.

"He really did scare us then, didn't he?" Isshin said, his serious tone broke the serenity. Rangiku gave a silent nod before coming up close to Isshin's side.

"You really care about him, don't you?"

"And so do you. I just wish that we would have known sooner."

"We can't really blame ourselves, that kid has a way to hide himself."

"Just promise me one thing, Rangiku."

"What is it, Taichou?"

"When I'm not around any longer and if he's in trouble, I hope you do try to help him." That got Rangiku to stop in her tracks.

"What do you mean if you're not around? Are you going somewhere, Taichou?"

"I just have a feeling that I would have to leave for a while. Don't worry, Rangiku. I'll still look after both of you." An uneasy feeling crawled in Rangiku's soul but she wouldn't judge her Captain's request.

"Of course. I will try my best even if my life is on the line. After all, Toushirou is and the only Shiro-chan for both of us." A small smile crept onto Isshin's face before Rangiku continued,

"Although, you do realize in the future he might be a captain too, right?" She asked knowingly the fact that no one dared to question Hitsugaya Toushirou's capabilities and talents.

Isshin's smile went wider however laced with a little concerned as he spoke,

"That I've always knew."

Maple


End file.
